ABSTRACT
Health psychologists can receive their training in a number of different ways. The amount and intensity of health psychology training available in doctoral programs varies by program and institution. Clinical health psychology training involves coursework in assessment, intervention techniques, consultation and supervision, as well as supervised clinical practical and externships. In addition to courses about how to conduct research, hands-on research training is a central feature of all health psychology Ph.D. programs. Programs often expect students to be engaged in research pursuits for a minimum of 15 hours per week throughout graduate training. For students in health clinical or counselling programs, including those in Psy.D. programs, clinical training—always with supervision—begins during the students’ first or second year. The major training difference between Psy.D. vs. Ph.D. programs is that students in Psy.D. programs spend more time in clinical training pursuits and comparatively less time involved in research during their graduate training.
